It was a stunningly beautiful Saturday Ride. Just over 100 miles and 7500 feet of total climbing for this last ride training for AIDS LifeCycle 2018.

We started in San Francisco and hugged the coast riding through Pacifica and Half Moon Bay before arriving in Pescadero. The winds were behind us pushing us forward and keeping the sky clear enough for the stunning ocean vistas. We stopped in Pescadero (2 miles inland) for a delicious meal and light stretch before turning back around.About 10 miles after Pescadero, we turned inland on Tunitas Creek Road for the big climb of the day. It’s 5 miles through a (thankfully) quiet road alongside a creek and under a dense forest canopy. This hill was tough but I was tougher. I’m not a particularly fast climber so I was alone for most of the climb and I welcomed the time to meditate. Fortunately, I was also well hydrated so I had to stop to pee at least 5 or 6 times; I used each pee break as an opportunity to reset and catch my breath. In fact, I was so well hydrated, I also had to stop and pee on the way downhill, breaking my well-earned descent on the other side of the summit! We made another stop in Woodside for another refuel and stretch before riding the last 30 miles home.

Believe it or not, the last 30 miles were the toughest! Heading back home in the other direction those winds turned into headwinds (ugh), the fog had crept up above the hilside, pretty much obstructing any warmth we could get out of the sun that will still out but hiding. And while not nearly as steep or challenging as the hill I’d just completed, my legs and lungs were already completely spent.

This was taken before that big climb – see how cheerful I still look back there?As I struggled for these last 30 miles, I went back to my meditative mind and started my gratitude list:

See that bearded guy taking the photo? That’s my friend and team mate, Adam. He rides about twice my speed and is an incredibly strong rider. But, he’s also kind and keeps slower riders like me company, cheerfully carrying conversation and support as needed. He gave me caffeniated gels, played music and kept my pace while I struggled through those 30 miles and through it I was too tired to say thanks. In fact, when we got to SF and was about to part ways, I may even have rushed through our goodbyes – I was afraid if I stopped too long, I might not be able to get back on the bike. But, he’s not alone in this behavior…

See those incredible people on the Pescadero photo above? That’s about 10% of Team ALCAholics. EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE TEAM is incredibly strong, kind, compassionate, giving and soooo loving on our rides. I am so inspired to see them taking that same approach to their lives in general and know that it is a privilege to be in their company to get to soak up all that energy up close.

Just the day before this ride, I received a package in the mail and received these very special socks: If you didn’t know, that’s my daughter, Kaye’s, face. They happened to be a perfect match to my team colors from last year so I chose that to wear on the ride so I could wear the socks right away. They gave me joy all day everytime I saw them as I bent down to stretch or squatted to pee. I was also definitely still laughing (mostly on the inside) thinking about them on the home stretch.

I ALMOST made it all the way home, but about 102 miles into the ride and 2 miles away from home, I had to make another pit stop. By then, it was just my team mate, Patrick and I so we stopped at a Peet’s for hot cocoa and a wee. When I finally made it to the bathroom I knew that my legs were done and I would not be able to talk myself back on the bike that day… thankfully, McKay (best husband ever) was home and able to come to my rescue. I know just how fortunate I am to have his support while I take away most of our date time 6 months out of the year to go on training rides. It’s even sweeter to know that when he’s in town I also have a ride home if needed. Extra bonus surprise when I fianlly made it home: I had a Hello Kitty Sticker Book waiting for me. That’s true love, folks!

Though on the outside, I really couldn’t express joy or happiness during the last part of this ride, repeating this meditation in my head is what kept me going; without it I might not have finished 100 miles. So, now I’m glad to have this (actually, eventually) happy memory to reflect on so I can go back and tackle Tunitas Creek. again. with less exhaustion. Next year. Maybe.

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This weekend almost 1/3 of our team gathered together over the weekend for a team retreat. This is my third year on the team and every year our team membership makeup is a little different – there are some who have been doing AIDS Lifecycle for at least 5 consecutive years, others who have just signed up a few months ago, some of us in between and even others who took a break and are back to ride this year- and with such a large group in flux, the retreat is a great way for those who can attend to get acquainted, form friendships, and bond before our big ride.This year, our retreat was held in Guerneville, CA, a gorgeous valley town between Northern California’s wine country and the Pacific Ocean with a river running through it. It’s only a few hours away from San Francisco so, for me, it was an easy drive up. I also carpooled with a couple of team mates to help the time pass and have more time to get to know them better.

Most of the participants were Bay Area based, but 2 members from Los Angeles drove up and 2 of the Bay Area riders took the day on Friday to ride to our weekend homes. Our large group managed to fit in 2 houses that were about .25 mile apart, but we spent most of the weekend gathering together at either house for meals, hanging out, riding bikes and soaking in the hot tub.Speaking of riding bikes, our 50 mile Healdsburg loop took us through one scenic winery after the next. About 25 miles in, we ran into some roadblocks that had been put up for an active IronMan triathlon that happened to be in the cycling portion of their race. I was carried away with excitement as I watched every racer that rode past us and made a mental note to channel their intensity during the parts of this AIDS Lifecycle where I might need a little extra oomph. By the time we finished our ride, I had enough time in the day to shower, relax, hang out in the hot tub and play a card game before dinner (I was terrible at it but it was super fun). Our enormous dinner serving put me in a food coma and I ended up getting so sleepy that I decided to go home and go straight to bed right after.

I woke up almost 10 hours later with enough time for another quick dip in the hot tub before turning our leftovers into breakfast and heading back home. It was a great preview to who I’ll be spending my week week on the ride. I’m so grateful to be in the company of such amazing people and look forward to the week of riding coming up!

p.s. thanks to my team mates Winston, Tam and Duby for taking these photos!

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Coming into my third AIDS Lifecycle I no longer feel the same tension as I did in my first or even second year riding. Over the years it’s been replaced by my excitement about doing the ride and spending the week with some amazing individuals, some of whom I’ve been able to spend time with and get to know these past 3 years.When I trained for my first year, I was more worried about how many miles I was increasing every weekend ride and trying to figure out nutritional and hydration needs during each ride. I was also figuring out my pre- and post-ride routines and how I could manage to stay awake long enough to shower after a long ride.

From an athletic perspective, I still have a lot to figure out and learn. But lately, I have been enjoying the difficulty of climbing hills and riding into a light headwind (let’s not get crazy; I still hate riding into strong winds, will still cry when it rains and definitely will still give a hard pass to riding in snow but y’know – baby steps) and knowing it’s going to be a challenging day almost gives me some relief to know and I can start to focus on and enjoy the company I’m in instead.I forgot to take a picture, but my chill state was gifted a nice surprise at the halfway point when I ran into another friend who was on a different ride with some other friends. I also helped change someone’s flat and sat with someone for a bit while he recovered from a leg cramp. I was having a pretty fun 80 miles ad really enjoyed getting to spend time with different folks at each rest stop.I felt so relaxed at the end of the day that I decided to take Sunday off and go on a date. I hope your weekend was equally spectacular!

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Hopped on a red eye on Thursday night for a whirlwind extended weekend to see family in North Carolina. Almost as soon as I arrived, we drove to Asheville and took a walk through the downtown area. The street we walked had a lot of great shops that had cool vintage finds and fun fashion. Luckily, I’ve been practicing a personal carry-on luggage only policy so I managed to resist MOST of the temptation. I DID give in to an adorable color-shifting unicorn pillow to add to my office couch collection.We walked the art galleries in between stuffing ourselves with delicious meals, but the prize goes to Whit’s frozen custard – if you’re lucky enough to have one of these near you, stop reading this and GO THERE NOW!

After coming back from Asheville, I managed to squeeze in a 17 mile bike ride before enjoying a picnic by Salem Lake (thanks for making all of that happen, Debbie!). We also managed to round out the visit with a couple of meals with more fam in Raleigh, but I was so immersed in the visit I forgot to take pictures! Oops!

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I rode 106 miles and climbed over 5000 feet with these amazing faces:and it’s probably hard to tell from our smiling faces, but this photo was taken at mile 100 … for me, anyway – some of these folks were already at mile 120 (I opted to drive to the meeting place instead of take the extra 20 miles to ride there and back)! We rode through Tiburon, Larkspur, San Rafael, and Nicasio before the feature climb called Marshall Wall – a series of ascents in increasing intensity leading up to a peak with an unobstructed view of the valley we just emerged from. Using a new technique, I thanked my legs (out loud) everytime I got a sense of pain or soreness and it seemed to help keep the pain at bay – imagine that!

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but after only a few bike commutes home and 2 spin classes, I mostly took all of March and the first part of April off.

I’m happy to report that I managed to finish ~85 miles (!) on Saturday. Seventy (70) Miles for AIDS Lifecycle Day on the Ride – Marin: A ride simulating one day of AIDS Life Cycle, complete with themed rest stops and vehicle support throughout the day; the rest was riding there (~8 mi) and back from my place in San Francisco.

Group rides and rest stops are always a great place to run into and (very briefly) catchup with other riders. This day was particularly special because I hadn’t been on many group rides in a while so I’ve been away from my bike peeps. I also forgot that this simulation is a great way to get me excited about the week of riding coming up in just a few short weeks – eek!

I started the day with a small back ache, but after taking some ibuprofen and overloading on electrolyte drinks, by lunch my back was feeling numb to the pain and it came with a very calm all over feeling. After having my my post-event fried chicken sandwich, I felt good enough to ride home so I did. Other than needing to urgently pee, I made it home without too much pain. I ate, showered and immediately passed out.

The following day I realized I forgot to stretch so I spent the day alternating between stuffing my face with food and stretching out my legs and my back, all while getting my TV binge on… I never even made it out my front door to do laundry – a task for this week, I suppose. I thought about writing this blog, but it was really just a day to sit still and veg out. After doing all that nothing (even though I still felt guilty about it as I let the hours pass), I went to bed early, wishing it felt as glorious as it actually really was.

Even though this is my 3rd AIDS Life Cycle, I’m still looking forward to the surprise of the ride. I wonder how my body will serve me during the week; what new relationships I will develop during the week, what friendships I will reinforce; what will trigger my first and last cries of each day; who I will get to share meals with; what meditations will work with which hills I’m climbing. I’m also really looking forward to sharing it with you.

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It’s my 3rd time riding AIDS Lifecycle and I’m once again riding with TEAM ALCAholics.
In case you didn’t know: it probably looks like we’ve misspelled Alcoholics, but the team is actually named after the the commonly used acronym for AIDS Life Cycle. Our slogan is “we keep coming back” and I think now that I’m in my 3rd year, I do definitely consider myself an ALCAholic. I’m proud to be in an all-inclusive team with such a diverse group of people. AIDS Lifecycle calls its community the “love bubble” and this team is my personal love bubble in the ALC love bubble.

I’m especially excited that, this year, there are more women that have already joined our team. Their strength and stamina inspire me and makes me want to get even stronger to be able to keep up with them! Here’s a photo of the first team ride I’ve joined where the women outnumbered the men. It was beautiful day to climb Hawk Hill.